Working Google street view trick for WM. How to's inside!

**jethro_static** · #1 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 06:08 PM

Here's a real cool trick from our friends at XDA.
As you may have noticed, in the WM version of Google Maps we do not yet have the patented Google "Street View" feature whereby you can see real 360° pan shots of the street you are mapping. The soon-to-drop Android G1 and BlackBerry devices have it, but no love for Google's WM stepchild.
But, until that update you can do this:

download Esmertec Jbed (java manager) here (if needed)
download "KDKobes Google Maps Street View" .jar file here; place in \My Documents

Install the Esmertec Java client (you'll need to link it to your Start Menu from from the root \Esmertec Java folder). Then Menu --> Install --> Local files and it should find KDKobe's .jar file. Install and you're done!
Now, just launch Google Maps (BB edition, natch) from the Esmertec Java client and away you go. Find a street address, hit options on the bubble and click "Street View". You can even make it full screen, albeit a bit grainy.
Down sides? No "My Location" or GPS. But hey, it's a start! My own thoughts? Overall it works surprisingly well. Give it a go.
via Tilt Mobility & props to KDKobes for discovering this!
ps Eat our shorts CrackBerry!

WM is unstoppable.

rdavidsmith · #2 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 06:49 PM

Cool beans...I have a BB curve and a Touch and have been using the street view on a beta google maps and wondered when the ol boys at XDA would come up with something for winmo.

**jethro_static** · #3 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdavidsmith

Cool beans...I have a BB curve and a Touch and have been using the street view on a beta google maps and wondered when the ol boys at XDA would come up with something for winmo.

That is for the winmo. U will use the blackberry street view and make it work for winmo. The instructions is on the 1st post.

**jmorton10** · #4 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:01 PM

I have been using Google Navigator which has an absolutely perfect street level view & gives spoken turn by turn GPS routing, but it is not free.

>HERE< is a view of my street from GN & it looks better on the phone than this pic shows (it is crystal clear & you can drag it around 360º)

I am going to try this other street view option tonight & see how it compares to Nav.

~John

**Lylej2k** · #5 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:21 PM

it works but no gps is kind of a bummer.

**jmorton10** · #6 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lylej2k

it works but no gps is kind of a bummer.

Yea, I just got done messing with it.

It gives almost the same street level view as Google Nav (GN is better, but not by much) but it would be a LOT better with GPS support

~John

**Lylej2k** · #7 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:55 PM

i tried google nav. not a bad program. just didn't like it all that much, plus there's no street view in my area, so really this whole deal is a wash for me as of now.

**jmorton10** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-08-2008, 08:55 PM

I have been A/B'ing between the two apps for a while now & the more I switch back & forth the better the Nav views look.

When I open the street view in > Google Navigator < it opens in full screen automatically & it must be a higher resolution image than the BB version because it is noticeably less grainy etc.

GN is pretty slick (the spoken turn by turn GPS routing works well), but it does have a few bugs in it & I don't recommend that people buy it at this time.

~John